·
IIt is given the name Harappan civilization
because Harappa was the first site discovered here.
· It is also called
as Indus civilization. Induc valley is the largest concentration of settlement
found along the Indus river valley.
· The most accepted
period of existence of Indus valley civilization is from 2500 BC to
1750 BC.This period is according to Carbon-14 dating technique.
· John Marshall was
the first person who used the term 'Indus civilization'.
· The Indus
civilization belongs to proto-historic period which is also known as chalcolithic
age/Bronze Age.
· Indus
civilization was primarily urban kind of civilizaton.
· Mohenjodaro is
the largest site of Indus Civilization.
· Dholavira is
the largest site of Indus Civilization located in Indian territory.
· Surkotada (Kutchh
district, Gujrat) is the only Indus site where the remains of a horse have
been found.
· Iron was NOT
known to the people of Indus valley.
· NO temples have
been found at any Harappan sites.
· The origin of the
'Swastika' symbol can be traced to the Indus Civilization.
Port cities: Lothal, Sutkagendor, Allahadino,
Balakot, Kuntasi. Among these Lothal was the oldest port of this civilization.
Capital
cities: Harappa and Mohenjadaro
Animals and stock
breeding
· Sheep, goat,
Humped and Humpless Bull, Buffalo, Boar, Dog, cat, pig, fowl, deer, tortoise,
elephant, camel, rhinoceros, tiger etc.
· Cow, Horse and Lion were not
Known to Indus people.
· An instance of the Indian
rhinoceros has been reported from Amri region.
· Several varieties of deer were
used as game by Harappans.
Agriculture
· Wheat and Barley
are the main crops of this civilization.
· Evidences of Rice
cultivation are found only at Lothal and Rangpur (Gujarat).
· Peas, Dates,
mustard, sesamum, cotton etc were few other crops grown at this civilzation.
· People in Lothal
cultivated rice as early as 1800 BC.
· The irrigation
depended on the irregular flooding of the rivers of punjab and Sind.
· Canal irrigation
was NOT practiced in this civilization
· Indus people
were the first to produce cotton in the world. As cotton was produced
from the Sindh region, it was called as Sindon by the Greeks.
Polity and
political organization
· There is no
clarity on the political organization of the Harappans.
· Because of the
sheer range and volume of the products we can say that a central authority
existed. This central authority was from the merchant class.
Religion and
beliefs
· Clay figurines of
mother godess were worshipped as the symbol of fertility.
· A seated figure
of male god carved on a small stone seal is also found. This seal represents
the traditional image of Pasupati mahadeva.
· Numerous symbols
of phallus and female sex organs made of stone have been the objects of
worship.
· Trees were
treated as sacred. FOr example Pipal tree.
· They revered
bulls as sacred
· Some people
buried dead bodies in large cemetery and some people practiced urn burial.
· Harappans
believed that there is life after death and so their graves often contained
household pottery, ornaments and mirrors belonging to dead person.
· The head of the
dead bodies was generally pointed towards the north.
Indus script
· Harappan script
has not been deciphered yet. But overlap of letters on some of the potsheds
from Kalibangan show that the writing was boystrophedon (from right to left)
and from left to right in alternate lines. This style of writing has been
refered to as Proto-Dravidian
· Harappan
inscriptions are shot.
· The longest
inscripton contained about 26 signs
· Total number of
signs in the harappan script are around 375 to 400.
Science and
technology
· Harappans knew
mining, Metal work and the art of constructing well-planned buildings.
· Some the
buildings built by Harappan are higher than two stories
· They also
manufactured gypsum cement for joining stones and even metals
· They knew how to
make long lasting paints and dyes.
· The public bath
at Mohenjo Daro worked on ingenious hydraulic system
The Four corners of
Harappa civilization
This
civilization is found to spread over Sindh, Baluchistan, Punjab,
Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Western U.P and Northern Maharashtra regions.
Harappa-Ghaggar-Mohenjodaro axis represents the heartland of the Indus
civilization. The following are the four ends of Harappan civilization.
· The Northern-most
site Ropar (Sutlej)/Punjab (Earlier), Manda (Chenab)/Jammu-Kashmir (currently).
· The southern-most
site of Indus civilization-Bhagatrav (Kim)/Gujarat (Earlier),
Daimabad (Pravara)/Maharashtra (currently)
· The Eastern-most
site of Indus civilization - Alamgirpur (Hindon)/Uttar pradesh.
· The western-most
site of Indus civilization -Sutkagendor (Dashk)/Makran coast, Pakistan-Iran
Border.
|
Site |
Rivers |
Districts |
State |
Country |
Excavation |
|
Harappa |
Ravi |
Montgomery |
Punjab |
Pakistan |
Daya Ram sahni
(1921), Mandho swaroop vasta
(1926), Wheeler (1946) |
|
Mohenjodaro |
Indus |
Larkana |
Sindh |
Pakistan |
Rakhal Das Bannerji
(1922), Mackay (1927), Wheeler (1930) |
|
Chanhudaro |
Indus |
Nawabshah |
Sindh |
Pakistan |
Maackey (1925), N.G. Mazumdar (1931) |
|
Lothal |
Bhogava |
Kathiyawar |
Gujarat |
India |
S.R.Rao (1954) |
|
Kalibanga |
Ghaggar |
Hanumangarh |
Rajasthan |
India |
Amalanand Ghosh
(1951), B.B Lal and B.K
Thapar (1961) |
|
Banawali |
Ghaggar |
Hissar |
Haryana |
India |
R.S Bist (1973) |
|
Dholavira |
Luni |
Kutchh |
Gujarat |
India |
J.P. Joshi (1967-68) |
Common features of the major Cities of Indus valley civilization
· Systematic town planning based on
'grid system'.
· Use of burnt bricks in
constuctions to give strength to the buildings.
· Underground drainage system. The
best example are the giant water reservoirs of Dholavira
· Citadels are fortified with huge
walls. The exception is Chanhudaro. This site has citadel with no
fortification.
Important sites and the artefacts found there
Harappa
Following are the artefacts found at this site:
· 6
granaries in a row
· Working
floors and workmen quarters
· Seal
of virgin-goddess
· Cemetery
· Stone
symbols of lingam (male sex organ) and yoni (Female sex organ)
· Painted
pottery
· Clay
figures of mother goddess
· Wheat
and barley in wooden mortar
· Copper
scale
· Crucible
for bronze
· Ccopper-made
mirror
· Vanity
box
· Dice
Mohenjodaro
It is also called as mound of dead men. Thi site is
recognised as the UNESCO WOrld Heritage SIte in 1980. This iste is currently
threatened by erosion and improper restoration. Following are the
artefacts found at this site:
· Great
bath
· Great
granary (the largest building of civilization)
· Assembly
hall, shell strips
· Dancing
doll bronze statuette
· Pashupati
Mahadeva /Proto- Shiva (Seal)
· Bronze
image of a nude woman dancer
· Steatite
image of bearded man depicting a priest king
· Human
skeletons huddled together
· Painted
seal (Demi-god)
· Clay
figures of mother goddess
· A
fragment of woven cotton
· Seven
stranded necklace
· Brick
kilns
· 2
Mesopotamian seals
· 1398
seals (57% of total seals of civilization)
· Dice
Chanhudaro
Following are the artefacts found at this site:
· City
without a citadel
· Inkpot
was found
· Lipstick
was found
· Metal-workers
shell-ornament makers
· Bead
makers shops
· Imprint
of dog’s paw on a brick
· Terracotta
model of bullock cart
· Bronze
toy cart
Lothal
Following are the artefacts found at this site:
· Dockyard
· Rice
husk
· Metal-
workers
· Shell-ornament
makers and bead –maker shops
· Fire
altars
· Terra
cotta figurine of a horse,
· Double
burial (burying a male and female in a single grave)
· Terracotta
model of a ship,
· Dying
vat
· Persian/Iranian
seal
· Baharainean
seal
· Jar
painted with bird and fox
Kalibangan
Following are the artefacts found at this site:
· Ploughed
field surface (Pre-Harappan)
· 7
fire altars
· Decorated
bricks
· Wheels
of a toy cart
· Mesopotamian
cylindrical seal
Banawali
Following are the artefacts found at this site:
· Lack
of grid system town planning
· Lack
of systematic drainage system
· Toy
plough, clay figures of mother Goddess were found here
Dholavira
Following are the artefacts found at this site:
· A
unique water harnessing system and storm water drainage system
· A
large well and bath (giant water reservoirs)
· It
is the only site to be divided into 3 parts
· Largest
Harappan inscription used for civic purposes
· A
stadium is also found at this site
Surkotada
Following are the artefacts found at this site:
· Bones
of Horse
· Oval
grave
· Pot
burials
Daimabad
The artefacts found at this site include Bronze
images (Charioteer with Chariot, Ox, Elephant and Rhinoceros)
Trade and its
network
Trade was an important part of this civilization. Extensive inland and
foreign trade has been reported during this civilization. Trade would
have been both on mainland and maritime. This can be proved as small teracotta
boats have been discovered. Also brick built dockyard has been found at Lothal.
There is no evidence of occurence of coins. So Barter system might have been
the normal method of exchange of goods. A vergy good and established method of
weights and measures was followed. Perfectly made cubes of agate were employed
for weighing. Weights followed binary system in lower denominations. FOr
measuring the length strips of shells which are unshrinkable in heat and cold
were used. Measurement oflength was based on unit of foot.
Harappans procured all the things which were not available locally.
Refer the below given table,
|
Imports |
From
location |
|
Gold |
Kolar (karnataka), Afghanistan, Persia (Iran) |
|
Silver |
Afghanistan, Persia (Iran) |
|
Copper |
Khetri (Rajasthan), Baluchistan, Oman |
|
Tin |
Afghanisthan and Iran |
|
Lapis Lazuli and Sapphire |
Shortugai, Badak-Shan (Afghanistan) |
|
Jade |
Central Asia |
|
Steatite |
Kirthar Hills, South Rajasthan, North Gujarat |
|
Amethyst |
Maharasthrta |
|
Shell |
Nageshwar, Balakot |
|
Carnelian |
Lothal, Bharuch (Gujarat) |
Exports
· Agricultural
products
· Cotton goods
· Terracotta
figurines
· Pottery
· Certain kinds of
beads (from Chanhudaro)
· Bonch-shell (from
Lothal)
· Ivory products
· Copper etc.
Seals
· Harappan eals and
the objects used by the merchants for stamping the goods have been found at
Mesopotamia.
· Mesapotamian
literature refers to UR as carrying on trade with far of foreign countries.
· Seals
representing marks of authority of traders were found in large number.
Crafts
· Spinning and
weaving of cotton, wool, pottery making, bead making and seal making were some
of the crafts.
· Beads were made
up of gold, silver, copper, faience, steatite, semi-precious stones, shells and
ivory
· Crafts were
beautifully glazed and carved with motifs of animals, birds, men and women
· Large number of
teracotta figurines were also made by Harappans.
· For pottery
chiefly red clay was turned into fast lathe, glazed and ornamented with black
bands with figurines of birds, animals and geometric designs.
Decline of Indus valley civilization
· The decline of
this civilization has been attributed to climate change, deforestation,
excessive floods, Shifting or drying up of rivers, overuse of landscape etc...
· Some of these may
be the possible causes of the decline of the civilization
· 'Indra is accused
of causing the decline of Indus Civilisation'--- M.Wheeler.
· The Rigveda
speaks of a battle at a place named as 'Hariyumpia' which has been identified
with Harappa.
· None of these
reasons explain why all the cities of the civilization ended at once.
· Contemporary
civilizations of Indus civilization are Mesopotamia civilization ,
Egyptian civilization and Chinese civilization.